https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAvwiiomUwY&t=234s
related coverage https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgsXa7PUpI8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7PkOh90DdE Goa to have first astro turf surface in #Peddem, #Mapusa as #Margao plays a waiting game Work on laying the #hockey astro turf surface at Peddem #Mapusa has been completed in what is seen as a major boost for the sport in the small state of #Goa. The Astro turf surface at Peddem Mapusa promises to be an answer to the hockey fraternity’s prayers lasting decades. The game has sunk into obscurity with the absence of a synthetic pitch with results at the national level portraying Goan hockey caught in a time warp. At a cost of approximately Rs 12 crore, tender requirements will call for an #FIH approved surface for which around Rs 4.5 crore has been earmarked. Two pitches, one for practice, would be laid. The match surface admeasures 91.4m x 55m and the one for practice 55m x 45.7m. The essential sub-base, comprising mainly asphalt, will cost an estimated Rs 1.82 crore. The rubber base to absorb shock that sits above the sub-base accounts for a further Rs 1.66 crore. Irrigation and drainage systems crucial to a hockey pitch along with a sump and fencing around the pitch would cost Rs 2 crore. Additional charges including consultancy and GST takes the total cost to around Rs 12 crore. The budget excludes 2000 lux floodlights (expected to cost Rs 70 lakh) and plans for a building housing stands for spectators have not been included in the first phase. Instead, temporary stands will be installed for the #NationalGames. An adjacent facility would provide dressing rooms and a temporary medical room would be built for the Games, according to the #SAG. Plans to lay an artificial turf in the environs of the Nehru Stadium at Fatorda are also on. In what will be a boon for the game not just in South Goa but the entire state, the turf could be could be ready in the next few months time. A solution is in sight. #GoanHockey officials informed that the association has been allotted land by the State government near #NehruStadium, #Fatorda. "The cost of installing the turf has to be borne by the association,” said #BennyViegas, an official of Goan Hockey. If all goes well, hockey in the state is poised for a positive result. And that, in regulation time!
